


teenage reject(s)

by 353dcys



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Daddy Issues, Dark Past, Edgy, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Hurt Eleven | Jane Hopper, Hurt/Comfort, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Mike Wheeler Friendship, Mileven, Mileven au, Out of Character, Sad Eleven | Jane Hopper, Sad Mike Wheeler, Short Story, Telekinesis, also ex best friends, el and max enemies, el has powers, el is a badass, el is a edgy badass angsty teenager as she should be, good boy bad girl, mileven short story, ooc as FUCK deal with it, shy boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23776390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/353dcys/pseuds/353dcys
Summary: in which bubbly boy mike wheelers eye is caught by the stone hearted eleven ives.but everything isn't how it seems, and neither are people.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Mike Wheeler
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. daddy issues

eleven ives was a fucking goddess.

at least she seemed that way.

the energy she radiated was terrifying.  
her name was a fucking number and no one knew why.

she was bold, confident and drop dead gorgeous. her skirts were short, not caring what anyone had to say about it.

the boys all wanted her, girls too. but she was too intimidating to ever approach. her cold stares could shake away anyone even trying.

the seventeen year old was a badass, assumed that her past had roughed her up.

if you ever saw her at a party, she always had a cigarette lit between her pearly teeth. her plump lips covered in dark red lipstick and of course, her signature black slit body con dress.

oh and of course, the fact that she could snap your neck without lifting her finger.

everyone said elevens telekinesis was a 'rumour', but was it really?

mysterious. a word a lot of people use to describe her.

with all of that, she was lonely.

but of course, it didn't seem that way to others. although she had people to talk to, no one really knew her.

this caught the attention of no one other than , mike wheeler.

mike was kind and bubbly. he was easily liked, and had a lot of friends. mike was a comedian. always making people laugh.

maybe because he lacked things like that in his own home.

the last name wheeler matching him perfectly, considering her was always on that damn skate board. that skate board also being the reason he met his fiery best friend, max mayfield.

the fiery best friend, who like a lot of girls, was terribly jealous of eleven.

even more jealous when mike was suddenly giving her all of his attention.

-

"hey el bells" mike calls eleven by his nickname for her, taking a seat next to her. not bothering to ask if he could sit there.

eleven could easily pick a lucky group of people and sit with them if she wanted to, but purposefully she didn't. she wanted to be alone.

but eleven was used to him at this point, he'd be teasing and following her for weeks. she'd roll her eyes, throw lightweight items at him and tell him to 'fuck off'. not wanting to admit she liked his company.

"ugh i told you not to call me that micheal" she groans at his silly title for her.

"and i told you not to call me micheal" he responds cheekily. a grin on his face that eleven didn't want to admit to herself was so darn cute. his smile fading when she asked "why not? it's your name isn't it? "

"ugh, fuck. don't ask." he cussed, "oh, pretty boy is swearing now huh?" she teased him." aw you think i'm pretty?" he grinned, secretly flattered. "hmm, maybe i'll tell you if you tell me why you don't like your name " she brought her face close to his, maybe a little too close.

is she flirting me with me? his mind wandered, thinking about what it would be like to-

"fine i'll tell you, pretty girl"

he sits up, "you know i'm telling you a story that only two people in my life know?"

she shakes her head, even more eager.

"well, i never really liked my name. so i told everyone to call me mike"

she laughs, "that's it?"

"no be patient! i still didn't care if anyone called me micheal. but the only person who did was my dad. he was like 'it's your name boy! i'll call you your name!' which kinda pissed me off but it didn't really bother me" he continued, eleven looked up at him, absorbing every word that escaped his lips.

"so my dad was the only person who called me micheal"

"and he left."

"and-"

his last words leave her in a newfound shock. eleven never expected mike to have a backstory like that, he always seemed like the type to have two perfect parents in a picture perfect two story house. 

but people aren't always how they seem.

"shit. i'm sorry, i should've have told you this. um, goodbye eleven" he picked up his bag and dashed down the hallway, not even glancing at her.

_he called me eleven._

eleven wanted to pretend like she was relived he was gone, but even she wasn't that heartless. she followed behind him, seeing his tall figure go outside the near bye door, she follows him out, trying to stay silent. he goes down under the bleachers and she raised her brow, thinking that he'd probably go to one of his many friends. or his best friend max.

when she turns the corner, she seems him. she blinked in surprise when she sees the cigarette held between his two fingers.

he was looking around in his pocket, probably for a lighter when he turns to his bag, seeing that the cold hearted girl had followed behind him, and now was leaning against a beam.

their eyes connect, even from a distance she could see the flirtatious glint in his eyes."got a light?"

she slides down next to him, pulling a lighter out of the pocket of her plaid utility skirt. lighting herself a cigarette and passing it over to him. "didn't know you smoked"

"there's a lot you don't know about me"

"woah okay there mister mysterious, that sounded ominous" she giggled, he thought about how cute her laugh was and how she should laugh more often. but like a lot of his thoughts, he doesn't say it out loud.

"i'm sorry about what happened, that was weird. i barely know you and i just-"

"it's okay mike, i know how you might not be able to tell other people about yourself. " she consoled," yeah, it's weird being a funny comedic relief kid. you don't really get you talk genuinely about your own problems. i mean i can't just say ah ha my dad just left me and my family!" a puff of smoke leaves his lips, along with the words he's never spoken to a single soul.

"i feel you, hey, atleast i know i'm not the only kid with major daddy issues in this perfect little town" she chuckles, with a dark meaning behind her words.

"care to elaborate?"

she turns to him, putting out her cigarette. eleven fingers trace circles on the top of his hand, her touch making him want do something he might regret. "hmm, maybe if you meet me after school..." she suggested, trailing off the meet his gaze.

"then i'll see you after school el bells"


	2. vulnerable

eleven was scared.

because being vulnerable is a scary feeling.

it's like opening your heart out, letting people see exactly what fucked up shit is inside.

it's terrifying to tell people your deepest darkest secrets, the ones that keep you awake at night.

and that's why eleven ives told no one. that's why she had no one.

her secrets were dark, too dark. and if she told someone they'd be scared away within seconds.

her grip around her arm tightens as she waits for mike, mike wheeler.

he floods her mind like a tsunami, because there was something about him that was so comforting and so-close.

eleven barley knew him, but she felt like the did. she felt like she could trust him.

it was dumb, it was idiotic to trust him. she knew that. but she still did.

she was cold and icy. and he was warm, like a blazing fire.

and he melted her.

-

mike slammed his locker, swinging his bag over his shoulder. his nerves were firing and he didn't know why. no girl, hell, person had ever gotten him this excited for anything.

except when lucas sinclair smoked weed with him in freshman year for the first time, maybe.

"hey mike! you coming to the skate park today?" the redhead pops out of nowhere, maybe if his heart rate wasn't already high because of a certain girl he'd be startled.

"hey max and uh i can't, i have to meet a friend"

"who?" she interrogated with her eyebrows raised."someone! no one! i gotta go, see you at wills house tomorrow?" mike responded, his voice clearly nervous.

"oohhh, is it a girl?" max teased, causing mikes very pale cheeks to tint a light shade of pink. "oh my god! it is!" she assumes seeing his state.

"it's not like that!"

"hmm really? because you seem a little flustered mike" she chuckles, amused. he walks off, she runs up behind him and puts her hand on his shoulder. "chill dude! i'm just teasing you. besides, i'm glad you've finally given up on that eleven girl" she commented, her words causing mike to shoot her a glare he didn't realize he was giving.

hoping max didn't notice, he squeaks a quick goodbye and dashed down the stairs.

but she did.

mike catches his breath after running down the what seemed like endless staircase.

"maybe all those cigarettes are finally catching up to you wheeler" a voice flirted, mike immediately recognized who it belonged to.

eleven is leaning against the brick wall of the school, her backpack hanging off her small body.

is was crazy how someone so small was so powerful.

_is it just me did her skirt somehow get shorter?_ "shut up" is all the flustered boy could muster out.

she starts walking and he trails behind her realizing she's probably taking him to a destination, and they talk.

they talk normally but genuinely, about school, about teachers and interests.

this is new to eleven, she's never talked to anyone about herself. she's listened, and she's talked about the use of the pills found in someones parents drawer but never about herself.

is this what having a friend is like?

"yeah, it is" he chuckles.

she snaps her head to look at him, not realizing she said her thoughts out loud. she's embarrassed, which is also new. eleven ives doesn't get embarrassed.

"oh fuck sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud" she looks down at her boots, watching as they crunch the leaves.

"are we?" he asked quietly.

" are we what? "

"friends?"

he's scared for the answer, she's going to say no! why did you ask that! eleven ives isn't going to be friends with someone like you! 

"yes, we are" her answer below a whisper, neither of them say anything, their minds blank to what they should even say.

"oh thank fucking god i was so scared" mike breathes out, making eleven laugh. "me too! i was like yikes maybe i should've have said that"

"but i'm glad you did" he looks to her, taken back by her beauty. her lips are formed in a sweet smile , something you don't see on her face often. their smiles fade when they realize how intimate the moment was getting, neither of them pulling away from the magnetic effect.

"... best friend" he continued, eleven scrunches her face in fake disgust "alright don't get ahead of yourself pretty boy". they through their heads back and laugh, continue walking, both appreciating the new unlikely friendship.

not realizing a figure was slowly following behind them.

after walking for a while, they arrive at a forest. more specifically a small, damaged, almost fully broken cabin. when she stops in her tracks, mikes heart drops for a second. " is this the part when you kill me and dispose of the body or? "

"oh shut up will you," she rolls her eyes and turns around to face him, she's at a distance but mike can still read her emotions.

she's upset, unsure.

"here it goes. for some reason, i trust you wheeler. something i've barley done. itrust you and you could easily betray me if you wanted to. i know that, but i still do," she confesses, letting him know the truth of what goes on in her pretty little mind. his mouth is a gap, not knowing what to say, mike tucks his hands even harder into the pocket of his khaki coloured jacket.

"so i'm gonna tell you, the story of me. okay?"

"okay" 

"it gets really-dark. you know the rumours mike?"

he's shocked at the vulnerability that drips her voice , shocked at the girl he hadn't seen before. she was different, although she had shown emotion to him before, it wasn't like this. and he liked it, he liked the emotions she seemed to show.

"yes"

"and you still wanna hear it?"

"well, duh!"

" okay. and i swear to god wheeler, if you tell anyone i will cut your testicles off and feed them to the wolves," her sudden threat cutting ties with a vulnerability she once held. "ha there she is" mike joked.

she steps in front of the cabin slowly, her fingers grazing the scratched up wood. silence lingering in the air for so long he wondered if she was ever going to speak.

she finally did.

"papa. i called him papa."

she turns her head back to stare at him, he takes this as a sign to listen, listen to the words that she clearly needed to get out.

"he was well, my dad. not my real dad. i don't know if i even have a real dad i had a mom, and papa took me away from her."

he thinks she's joking, because that's what his mind goes to. that was his coping mechanism. "everyone has a dad el"

"i'm not everyone mike! i'm-different"

she continues, "papa did some fucked up tests on my mom. and viola! he got what he wanted, a fucked up child."

her voice starts to break, cracking as her heart got heavier and heavier "he called me eleven. because all i was, was a goddamn number. he used me. he used my gifts to hurt people. innocent people, evil people. it didn't matter because he was a fucking sadist. he hurt people, i hurt people"

she turns around to face him, her tearful eyes boring into his, searching for the emotion he was feeling. "i'm a monster, mike."

the questions that filled his mind disappear the moment he sees the tears trail down her pale cheeks. the sight was absolutely heart breaking, the usually emotionless girl standing in front of him, her eyes leaking tears, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson red and once her silky hair matted.

"no, no, no el you're not a monster" he walks to her, his shoes crunching against the leaves. although she wasn't far from him , each step felt excruciatingly long. each second apart feeling like forever.

mikes arms wrap around her trembling, small frame. the shaking of her frail body making his body tense up.

she wraps her arms around his back, pulling him even closer as she sobbed. the gentle caress of skin against each other making them melt.

her loud sobs turn into quiet sniffles, his slow, gentle touches against the hollow of her back being the reason as well the soft murmurs of "you're not a monster el, it was never your fault"against her neck.

the picture was something you'd think you'd never ever see.

_eleven ives was crying._

_crying in mike wheelers arms_.


	3. is it true?

silence.

an unspoken silence lingered the air between the two broken teenagers.

not an awkward silence, but comfortable. they laid under a tall tree, wrapped in each other's arms. her head buried in his chest, like it was meant to be there, and his fingertips drawing smooth circles against her exposed pale shoulder, sending unwanted tingles through her skin. no one daring to speak as they basked in each other's presence.

mikes lungs barely exhaled, afraid any movement would change her newfound mood. he was seeing eleven with a new set of eyes, a new girl. he was seeing her raw, not the messed up facade she put up for everyone to see, not the mask she had put on everyday.

broken, beautiful eleven.

and no matter how cliché it sounded, mike liked the real el.

_the real el, was it?_ although eleven had revealed much about herself. there was still much to learn about the depths of eleven ives. 

he knew there was a chance he would regret his nexts words, but he needed to know. "eleven? what exactly did you mean by your g-gifts?"

she pulls her head off his chest, sitting up straight bed facing him. "w-what are you asking, mike?" she queried, although she already knew exactly what he was asking.

"i'm asking, is it true?"

fuck.

the rumours.

_"i swear to god man! she threw that shit with her mind! no i wasn't on drugs i-"_

_"what if she's like an alien? nah that's crazy!"_

they hadn't been spread around in ages, but the ones people still remembered. but the last time they had actually given a fuck was sixth grade, when el probably wasn't in control.

of her gifts, her powers.

powers she's never shown anyone, till now.

she gestured for him to stand up, coming closer to whisper her next words "mike. are you su-"

"yes! yes eleven! i've made it so clear!" he suddenly snaps, the whites of both their eyes widening.

shocked by his own outburst, he continues "i've made it clear, that i'll accept you no matter what. nothing is going to change the way i feel about you eleven ives. so fuck it, show me who you truly are."

the confession leaves his lips breathlessly, like he's astounded by his own words, his own feelings. she flashes him a genuine smile, before taking a few steps back.

he watches as he lifts her hands up, her eyes fixated close on the perimeter around him.

el lids flutter close , feeling the power rush through her very own veins, the feeling familiar. she lets the hurtful memories of flush her mind before snapping her eyes open again.

the fallen leaves of autumn that once lingered the forest floor now levitated around the boy. spinning around him, creating a beautiful mix of browns, oranges and reds.

his eyes follow the auburn leaves spin around him faster and faster, his lips parting more and more in amazement.

the wind blows his midnight curls back as the leaves spin faster, almost like a tornado was surrounding him.

and then, they stop. fall.

one, brittle red-orange leaf falls onto of mikes messy curls. his eyes follow it as it falls from his head onto his hands. and then, his gaze snaps to her.

her body was covered in his oversized jacket, her exposed knees starting to buckle as she brought her hands down.

he runs to her standing frame, examining her face. her hair stood clean, her skin pale from the wind yet still beautiful, and drops of blood dripping down her nose.

even with all that, she looked stunning.

he can tell she's worried, and his bewildered expression probably confused her farther. "holy fucking shit! that was incredible!" he let out a scoff of shock mixed with amusement.

"really?" el breaks into a smile, wiping her nose with her long sleeve shirt, careful not to get it on his jacket. she thought he didn't notice how she didn't use his jacket , but he did.

"hey, you okay?" he's features etched with concern. "i'm fine. it's just a, weakness i guess "she spoke about her dripping nose causally.

"wow el. you're, you're-"

frankly, he was speechless. there wasn't exactly a proper way to respond to finding out your newfound friend has superpowers.

"a freak? a mons-" she filled in the blanks, her voice laced with fear. _god, what if he's scared of me?_

"amazing, el's bells. that was so fucking cool. you're so fucking cool."

her heart can't help but race when she realizes how he looks at her.

like she was the most captivating thing in the world.

because as of now, she was.

"oh yeah? this was nothing. i can do a lot more wheeler." her voice was laced wth determination, as well as if she was daring him to do something.

his mind goes blank, _i-is she flirting?_ he internally scoffs, she knew exactly how to stir a reaction from him, huh?

he opens his mouth to speak, but a crinkle of leaves from near by stops his words.

someone's coming.

the persons footsteps hit both their ears, causing their heads to snap in unison.

curses and complaints spill out of the mystery persons mouth as they stomp through the deep leaves. they watch as the figure stands there, slowly removing their hood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope y’all are enjoying!! letting you know this is definitely not the last chapter, i’m just not sure how to get rid of the ‘completed’ check. but there’s more ahead! stay tuned<3


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